Refrigerator car floor rack



Nomi}, 1939. I c D. BONSALL v 5 REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOOR RACK Filed Dec.12, 1936 Sheets-Sheet 1 u u u u 1 .7; If

fnuenfcw Char/es DBonsa// Nov. 21, 1939. c. D. BONSALL REFRIGERATOR CARFLOOR max 0, 2 .r m m IQQIVV n 6 e 0 m3 W 0 e s e 0 e m 8 Hm %1 H C .1:EIELT- O O Q .mwwmm R1 00000 000000 WMmhmh m 00 00 0 000000 O O 0 O E0.0?

Patented Nov. 21, 1939 PATENT. OFFICE I aiaosoz REFRIGERATOR. cim noonCharles David Bonsai], Plttsburgh,"1a., asslgnor,

by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment ManufacturingCompany, a corporation of Delaware Application December 12, 1936, SerialNo. 115,516

The invention relates to insulated refrigerator cars used to transportperishable commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, berries, meats,eggs, frozen fish, etc., and to maintain such commodities while intransit within a predetermined range of temperature, thus necessitatingthe use of a cooling means in the summer and a heating means in thewinter. It has been found that perishable commodities which have notbeen allowed to get-too cold (freeze) or too hot (bake) have a highmarket value because they have a longer storage life.

The invention relates specifically to floor racks for such refrigeratorcars which comprise a foraminous or perforated floor, arranged tosupport the lading in the car in spaced relation to the insulated floorof the car so that air, after it has been cooled by a refrigerant, orheated by a heater, may pass under the lading and through the foraminousfloor and up through or between the lading.

Spaced apart wooden slats supported by wooden stringers have been usedfor this purpose, but such construction is objectionable because itbecomes insanitary, retains odors, becomes water sogged and heavy, andis expensive to maintain. An object of the invention is to provide afloor rack comprising a foraminous floor supported by stringers which isvery light in weight for so its strength; has a large total area ofapertures in the foraminous floor for the passage of circulating air;oifers the minimum resistance to the air moving in a horizontaldirection under the foraminous floor; is economical to make and 85install or remove from the car; is cheap to maintain; is'sanitary andwill provide a substantially smooth surface for walking upon and rollingtrucks thereupon.

In the drawings:

40 Fig. 1 shows a typical unit of my improved floor rack.

Figs; 2 to 6 inclusive show modified constructions of, the design shownin Fig. 1.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a method of bracing the sections forming the floorrack.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modification of'the constructionshown in Figs. '7and 8.

The floor rack preferably consists of a plurality of sections securedtogether for cooperation and 50 to form units for installation in thecar. These units are hinged to the side wall of the car. If

refrigerant bunkers are used in the end of the car the channels of myfloor rack extend lengthwise of the car to accommodate longitudinalcir-, 55 culation of the air. If side or top refrigerant 7 Claims. (01.105-375) the upper or the lower portions, but preferably in both of suchportions, because it is desirable to procure as large an apertured areaas possible for the movement of circulating air through the foraminousfloor.

I preferably make the upper portions 5 greater in width than the lowerportions 6 to provide .a relatively smooth surface for walking andtrucking rolled vehicles over the-foraminous floor. I also providerelatively large apertures 8 in the upper portions and relatively smallapertures 9 in the lower portions so that the remaining cross sectionalarea of the plate through the apertures is about the same in the upperportions as in the lower portions so that the metallic plate as a beamwill comprise a balanced section to provide great strength for itsweight.

The foraminous floor comprises a plurality of metallic sheets fabricatedas above described,

some of which sheets are formed with integral depending flanges formingstringers which extend below the lower portions for engagement with thefloor of the refrigerator car so as to provide a space between theforaminous floor of the rack and the floor of the car for aircirculation. Fig. 1 shows a metallic sheet having such a dependingfiange H at each side margin thereof; Fig; 2 shows an arrangementwherein each metallic sheet is formed with a depending flange l2 at oneside margin and a short connecting flange l3 at the other side marginwhich is secured to the adjacent sheet (by either welding or riveting).Fig. 3 shows an arrangement wherein every other sheet is provided with adepending flange Li at each margin which rests upon the floor of thecar, while the sheets therebetween are provided with short connectingflanges it which are secured to the adjacent sheet. Fig. 4 shows anarrangement wherein the foraminous floor comprises a plurality of upper(5) and lower (6) portions in spaced apart planes having separatestringers engaging one of the lower portions and,

extending to and engaging the floor of the car;

for instance, l8 shows a channel section; I! a Z-section; 20 an invertedchannel section and 2| an L-section. Fig. 5 shows an arrangement whereineach sheet is provided with a depending flange 24 at each margin thereofwith the flanges of adjacent sheets flared and provided with a stiffener25 therebetween to form a braced foot or stringer. The flanges 26adjacent the side wall of the center of the car need not be flared. Fig.6 shows an arrangement wherein a separate L-shapedstringer 28 isprovided which is interposed between adjacent sheets and secured theretoby the attaching flanges 29 by welding or rivet- These attaching flangesor stringers, whether separate or integral with the metallic sheets, arepreferably provided with apertures 32 to allow for free circulation ofair in a horizontal direction below the foraminous floor. Theseapertures are as large as possible consistent with strengthrequirements.

The cross members 34 extend between and are secured to the adjacentflanges or stringers 35 and are arranged to sustain the foraminous floorbetween the flanges. In order not to reduce the flue area below theforaminous floor, that is, to minimize the resistance of the movement ofthe circulating air, I preferably make these cross members 34 of flatbars each having a horizontal part 31 supporting the lower portions 6 ofthe foraminous floor and other parts 38 extending diagonally therefromto the depending flanges or stringers 35 to, which they are attached. Ipreferably provide depending flanges with reflanges 40 and connect theends of the cross members 34 to the depending flanges 35 at theirjunctions with the reflanges am, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The depending flanges of adjacent sections are preferably securedtogether to form a cooperating unit for installation in or removal fromthe car and for this purpose I provide means to secure the flangestogether, such as rivets 43, shown in Fig. 1, or by welding (44) theupper portions of adjacent sheets together and welding (45) thereflanges of the depending flanges together, all of which is shown inFig. 1. I preferably secure the cross members 41 of adjacent sectionstogether so that they will mutually reinforce each other; for instance,by the use of the rivet 48 shown in Fig. 9.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of theinvention, though it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the exact details of construction shown and dee scribed, asit is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope ofthe claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor rack spaced above saidfloor to provide a flue therebetween and means to induce an air currentin said flue, said rack comprising a metallic sheet formed withalternating upper and lower portions in spaced apart parallel planesconnected by webs, one of said portions being provided with apertures,said sheet formed with a depending flange at each side margin thereofparallel with the webs which extend below the portions for engagementwith the floor of the car, said flanges formed with reflanges, and crossmembers each having horizontal parts supporting said lower portions andother parts extending diagonally therefrom which are secured to saidflanges at their junctures with 'the reflanges.

2. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor rack spaced above saidfloor to provide a flue therebetween and means to induce an air currentin said flue, said rack comprising a metallic sheet formed withalternating upper and lower portions in spaced apart parallel planesconnected by webs, one of said portions being provided with apertures,said sheet formed with a depending flange at each side margin thereofparallel with the webs which extend below the portions for engagementwith the floor of the car, said flanges formed with reflanges, and crossmembers extending between and secured to said flanges which support saidlower portions, said cross members resting upon said reflanges.

3. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor. rack spaced above saidfloor to provide a flue therebetween and means to induce an air currentin said flue, said rack consisting of a plurality-of units, each unitcomprising a metallic sheet formed with alternating upper and lowerportions in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs, said sheetformed with a depending flange at each side margin thereof parallel withthe webs which extend below the portions for engagement with the floorof the car, cross members extending between and secured to said flangeswhich support said lower portions and 'brace the flanges againstdistortion, and means to secure the adjacent flanges of adjacent unitstogether to form a floor rack, said adjacent flanges being flaredrelative to each'other.

4. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor rack spaced above saidfloor to provide a flue therebetween and means to induce an air currentin said flue, said rack consisting of a plurality of units, each unitcomprising a metallic sheet formed with alternating upper and lowerportions in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs, said sheetformed with a depending flange at each side margin thereof parallel withthe webs which extend below the portions for engagement with the floorof the car, cross members extending between and secured. to said flangeswhich support said lower portions and brace the flanges againstdistortion, and means -to secure the flanges and the cross members ofadjacent units together to form a floor rack.

5. A floor rack for a refrigerator car comprising metallic sheets formedwith alternating upper and lower portions in spaced parallel planesconnected by webs with one of said portions being apertured, spacedsupports extending parallel with the webs which support the metallicsheets in spaced relation to the floor of the car, and cross membershaving horizontal parts sustaining the lower portions and other partsextending diagonally therefrom which are secured to the supportsadjacent the lower parts thereof to brace said supports.

6. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor. rack comprising ametallic sheet formed with depending parallel marginal flangessupporting said sheet in spaced relation to the floor to form a flue andmeans to induce an air current in said flue, said metallic sheet formedwith upper and lower portions connected by webs parallel to saidflanges, and cross members each formed of a bar having a horizontal partsecured to said lower portions and diagonally extending end partssecured to said depending flanges whereby the air current may movebetween said webs and around said cross braces.

'7. In a refrigerator car having a floor, a floor rack comprising aplurality of metallic sheets cross members so formed and positioned thatthe I air current may move between said webs, the depending flanges ofadjacent sheets being flared and. stiffeners between said flaredportions and means to secure said flanges together.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

